The deadline for submitting nomination papers was this afternoon and the races are now set. Many of those who had taken out papers to run did not return them.
Incumbent Joe Michaud will be running against former Select Board member Bob Miller. The other Select Board race will feature School Committee member Shawn McDonald against Frank Gracie of Tucker Road.
The School Committee race will be between Megan Monteiro, former School Committee member John Nunes, and Doug Roscoe. The top two vote getters in that race will fill the two seats that are up.
What do you think?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Select Board, School Committee races set
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
66 comments:
Has Mr. Miller conceded the election yet?
I feel the bile rising in my stomache concerning Mr. Miller. Do we want to go back to the old boy network? If he gets elected, you can be sure that we will.
Why must the town hire from within concerning the police chief? Shouldn't we get the best possible candidate available? Why must the new chief come from within the ranks... because it has always been that way ? Please don't tell me that the only qualified candidates are already on the payroll. People scream they want change . They want it up until it affects them personally.
Congratulations to the Select Board for looking outside the box, oops, outside the town, for our executive administrator, police chief, and budget and finance director/treasurer. Now that is change in the positive direction - - finally.
I will be casting my vote for Joe Michaud and Frank Gracie for Select Board. I can't imagine Shaun McDonald on the Select Board! Meetings will go on until midnight! Joe has done a great job! I enjoy watching the meetings. Frank Gracie will be another new voice with new ideas. I'm happy that he is willing to serve.
Mr. Michaud and Mr. Gracie have my vote. Do not always agree with Mr. Michaud, however, I feel he has done a commendable job. Mr. Gracie will be a good addition given his knowledge and integrity.
commendable?...how so?
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote!!! Ben F.
To all of you (BW,PF,GL) who rail against public employee salary...saying they get paid to much or too many benefits compared to the private sector and that you want them to give up some of their benefits in the name of "saving taxpayer money"
WHY DON'T I EVER HEAR YOU RAIL AGAINST BUSINESSES NOT PAYING A LIVING WAGE.
WHY CAN'T THE PRIVATE SECTOR PAY AS WELL AS PUBLIC EMPLOYEES GET PAID.
RACE TO THE BOTTOM
Unfortunately those in town leadership who rail against government benefits like pensions and salaries have NO problem sucking at the government teet
when it comes to healthcare and their PERSONAL SALARY from the state and Umass.
In today's S-T, we read that Mr. Miller has established his campaign strategy. It can be summarized in a few words. WE ARE NOT SPENDING ENOUGH OF THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY. Brilliant strategy Bob. Settle with the unions, spend more on cleaning the town and public safety, and spend more money within all the town departments. Oh yes, and terminating his buddy Mr. Gagne was a mistake. What a pitiful campaign this will be. Overrides and more overrides. Get out the union votes and that will get him elected. How transparent. Taxpayers should remind themselves that every time you hear support for Mr. Miller, assume that you are listening to one of the town employees, one of their family members, or friends who could care less about you.
Who is Lara Stone supporting? Seems to me she owes Michaud for supporting her and Miller for getting out of the race last year.
In S-Times today, Miller is running because he was upset when Gagne was let go and when Soares wasn't picked.
The town is doing a lot better now that our officials don't get sweetheart contracts that Miller endorsed. As far as Soares, he wasn't qualified and he didn't want the job anyway. Again, Miller does it his way. Forget about being fair and objective, he just hands picks the person he wants. Dartmouth cannot go back to "Miller Time". In fact, I think there are a few more of those sweetheart contacts still out there. I can't wait for question and answer time.
to 7:24
So unions have the right to gouge the taxpayers for raises and more benefits because it is all the fault of private sector business owners not making money? How logical. Spoken like a true pig feeding at the trough. If you review the pension payout table in today's local newspaper, you would see what our neighboring community is on the hook for in the coming years. I am sure Dartmouth's is on a similar scale. No problem right? You deserve a big raise and a big increase in benefits while there is double digit unemployment, foreclosures by the thousands just in this area, wage and benefit freezes (if you are lucky), cutbacks in compensation being more the rule, doubling or more of your workload as you fill the shoes of people who were permanently laid off, and so on and so on. But, you want more! The proper strategy for any community these days is to force a strike and hire non-union replacements to rid the communities of people like you and their unions.
Miller who?? Running for selectman, you've got to be kidding, right. What is it about NO that Bob Miller doesn't understand. The town voted you out three yers ago and that was during a time when the voters didn't know about the SO called ( CONTRACTS )Joe Michaud is not Mr. Perfect, but Joe Michaud performed a great service when he/along with two other board members voted not to reappoint the former EA.
Mr. Miller, don't put your family through this dog and pony show. Three years ago you lost and Michaud won the election. The people voted you out. Why would the voters want you back ?? Shame on you.
Anyone catch the Jack Spillane column in the s-t today. He tells it like it is regarding the public pension system. Just shovel the burden off on our children and make those in the private sector pay for what they will never get themselves.
Read the article. It's just a litany of complaints because things didn't go his way while he was out of office. When you read it, you'll notice he touched on everything he wants control of and that he sees slipping through his fingers. What's he "unhappy" about? Anything and everything that is making Dartmouth a healthier community for all its residents: ridding ourselves of an ineffective executive administrator who did not do the job he was charged to do under the Charter; an opportunity for a new perspective and new blood from an outside police chief; and labor negotiations for contracts(??!) Oh, and throw in student user fees to get on the good side of the parents while you're at it; make it a shoo-in for all voter approval. It sounds like an election to return to his seat on the Board is nothing more than a personal agenda on his part: a reason to "get even" for everything that he and the "Town Fathers" have lost.
I can't wait for question and answer time.
Neither can I, how much did it cost to get rid of Gagne, $50,000.00 contract buy out, $40,000.00 for a assessment center to hire his replacement, and then in the spirit of saving money, we pay the new GUY $7,000.00 more than Gagne was making, TALK about a SWEETHEART DEAL!!! this new guy is a trip he should head back to Tweksbury, oh yeah I forget he got FIRED from there, so we hired him. Barry you need to keep away from the happy plant, its ruining your brain.
If going outside the town for all the top positions is such a great practice why don't we extend that talent search when it comes to our select board? I bet the majority of the Select Board would not entertain that notion.
Your not arguing with Barry.
Mr. Cressman is so far ahead of Mike Gagne when it comes to knowledge of municipalities. Ask Lara what she thinks of Mr. Cressman. Mike Gagne was a nice, local, young, puppet, hand picked, for Miller and George and he served them well.
Mr. Cressman has made so many changes to 'business as usual' that will benefit our town. He has no ties and really does look objectively at all situations.
feb 18th 8:21..private sector not making money?...tell that to the multi billion dollar corporations that lay off workers but yet the CEO gets a bonus....for example WEEI laid off a regular talker, all the while giving himself a healthy bonus.
KEEP railing against the middle class and its terrible UNIONS...while you turn a blind eye to the real theives...those who you defend the corporate CEOs grabbing every TIF for their BIG BOX stores while not paying a living wage to their employees but giving million dollar bonuses to their top people.
I believe the towned missed an opportunity to litigate against Mr. Miller, Ms. Dias, and Mr. Carney for their illegal actions regarding the lifetime contracts and other matters clearly not allowed under the town charter. This should have happened to at least recover the damages done to the town via civil procedings.
Maybe the statute of limitations isn't up yet!??
I wonder if we can sue the current select board for not suing the previous selcet board.
Mr. Miller, don't put your family through this dog and pony show. Three years ago you lost and Michaud won the election.
This is a new election and Bob has every right to run and I have every right to vote for him. History is full of people who lost elections who came back and won the next time.
After 21 years of seeing Bob win many of his supporters assumed he would win again and did not go out and vote, shame on them. Rest assured they will not miss again!!!!
I find it hard to believe that some would support a man (Michaud) who is using Dartmouth as a stepping stone in his own political career. Michaud has no intention of staying here, he is running for Quinn's seat in Boston.
Michaud doesn't care about us, he is padding his resume for bigger and better things, Bob Miller is the candidate who cares about US.
JOE & FRANK, ALL THE WAY!
The only way we can keep from repeating past mistakes such as the contracts for life is to reelect Mr. Michaud and elect Mr. Gracie. While Mr. McDonald may not be in favor of contracts for life, he certainly will work for the schools if he is elected to the Select Board. While that is not a bad thing, it certainly does nothing to insure that the rest of us will get fair representation.
Bob Miller doesn't care about the taxpayer. He takes care of his constituents, the town employees. He had to give Gagne, a no cut contract so he could get one for the paralegal. Why did the paralegal need at no cut contract?
From the get go, the attorney drafting the contract said it was a bad idea in an email to the paralegal.
"While I am usually in the position of affording management, not the employees, with the most protections, and while I am not usually asked to bind a Town with more restrictive contractual language, since you have indicated that the Select Board (read Bob Miller here) wants to accommodate your concerns regarding funding, just cause protections, negotiable wages and job security, I have drafted some clauses which you and the Board might find useful to meet your shared objectives."
The fact that Gagne let this go on with his employee, the paralegal, and then got a no cut contract himself was enough to let him go. Bob Miller was at the bottom of it though. He wants Gagne back so he can continue to get his way. I don't think the managers now are going to be pushed around.
Make no mistake a vote for Miller is a vote for shady deals and giving the town employees whatever they want. Here's the question, Why was the paralegal so important?
Miller has stated that he is upset that union contracts are not signed. SO WHAT?! They refuse to sign for 0% pay raises and counter with ridiculous "compromises" We need someone who will hold the line on raises and increased employee expenses. So what if the contracts are expired. They will continue to work at the same rate which equals 0% pay raise. A vote for Miller is a vote for town employee pay raises! Go Joe!
The great thing about America is we get to vote how WE want.
Myself along with many many friends will be voting for Bob Miller
So what if the contracts are expired. They will continue to work at the same rate which equals 0% pay raise
Not true, not even close to true. All pay raises are retroactive to the end of the previous contract.
Keep lying to the people, we all see through you.
Town employees have not had a raise in almost 20 yrs. What they do get is cost of living adjustments (cola).
The very same COLA that most employees and Social security recipiants receive.
Last year Federal Cola was 5.8 percent, yet you want the hard working people of the town to take 0,0, and 0 for cost of living?
That is a rediculous notion.
Pluhleeze! No raise, right? Just a cost of living adjustment? Which is what?, more money for every hour worked, sort of like a raise, isn't it? And Michaud has been there three years which means the 17 YEARS before that BOB MILLER didn't give them a raise. No raise in 20 years right? BOB MILLER IS AGAINST RAISES for town employees, just look at his record.
cost of living really isnt a raise when you take inflation into account
My vote will go to Joe Michaud and Frank Grace this year! sorry but we need to have a non-biased board!!
by the way, I don't always agree with the bos as to thier appointments but I refuse to let the fox back into the henhouse and i hope the voters of this town see this!!!
Cost of living adjustment was almost 6% last year and you want more? I personally do not know of a single working person in the private sector that had a pay increase of anything close to 6%. I love how the attempted use of semantics to separate raises vs. cost of living adjustments somehow justifies a difference. I am sure a lot of the readers got a big laugh out of that one. Spoken like a true union dud that thinks the world owes him/her as much as possible off the taxpayer's backs. Oh, and you don't have to work hard or even show up for work if you don't feel like it, right?
I will vote for Joe Michaud and Frank Gracie. Bob Miller and Shaun MacDonald are just windbags.
Cost of living adjustment was almost 6% last year and you want more?
Reading comprehension might help you! I said Federal COLA, IE Social Security got 5.8% last year.
Town employees have been getting 2% or less for the last few contracts. 6 yrs or so.
I will wait for your apology, but I won't hold my breath.
Oh, and you don't have to work hard or even show up for work if you don't feel like it, right?
Your level of HATE is remarkable, you have no idea who you are talking to but continue to make assumptions.
P.S. you are wrong again! When people with anger issues such as yourself beat their wives (not saying you do, but you fit the profile) cops (union workers too) have to respond to deal with it.
Are you saying cops don't have to work hard? Or DPW workers forced to work overtime plowing OUR streets? How about building inspectors called out on holidays when buildings are struck by cars? There are many hard working people in this town and you don't know half of what they do or what they sacrifice.
Town workers aren't asking for a raise (more buying power) they are asking to keep pace with inflation. That is not much to ask.
I'm a federal employee. We didn't get 5.8% last year as a COLA. Social Security benefit adjustments and federal employee COLAs are not the same.
It's not just town employees that would like to keep up with inflation. Honestly, it sounds like the title of town employee automatically sets you apart from other people who work for a living, and consequently entitles you to more than is given to someone outside of the town's employ. This bandying about of town employee this, and town employee that, has no greater merit than what is needed by employees in the private sector.
To continue progress in town, I'm voting for Michaud and Gracie for Select Board and Monteiro and Roscoe for School Committee. Keep Miller's hands away fom the cookie jar.
I don't know about all the unions got last year for raises or whatever, but I know a lot of people that lost their jobs and are sweating out paying their bills every month so they don't lose their house or get thrown out because they can't pay the rent. I know they don't want their taxes to go up for sure. Maybe this go around, you union people should give something back to the town.
I personally do not know of a single working person in the private sector that had a pay increase of anything close to 6%.
Did you miss the multimillion dollar payouts to wall street and bank executives. I would venture a guess that those are much more than 6% increases.
Kenneth Chenault's base salary rises to $2 million this year from $1.25 million, according to documents filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 60% raise in case you were wondering hotshot.
A vote for Miller, is a vote to return to good ole boy politics, back room contract deals, and hand picked town employees. Miller will have a culture shock if he gets elected! The players are all different now Bob. Dave Cressman is not a puppet. This town is better for the changes in the last few years! Dartmouth is doing pretty good considering the economy in general. We still need to listen to our finance com. and make decisions accordingly.
Find out what Cressman is getting for a raise this year. I am pretty sure town employees would take the same amount.
Bill fill us in (it is public record), how much of a raise is the new golden boy Cressman getting for a raise this year.
Well, at least he's not expecting a golden contract for life, and I doubt he would even consider anyone having one. There is such a thing as ethics.
The great thing about Dave Cressman is, he earns his pay! Hiring from the outside was the best thing Dartmouth ever did. I know breaking up is hard to do.
Hard to let go of the power and control Bob, but........
Breaking up the 'business as usual' in the town hall has been a step forward for our community.
Joe Michaud and Frank Gracie have my vote!
The great thing about Dave Cressman is, he earns his pay!
Are you assuming the others in town do not? Walk a mile in their shoes before passing judgement.
Cressman is making 3 times what his secretary is and she is doing most of the work. How is that right?
They're not running as a team, but Joe Michaud and Frank Gracie should be. Joe has already demonstrated what he can do. Frank did so, too, on the Budget Task Force. Very thorough, very smart.
to 7:53
Don't know the guy personally. But I know many dozens of hard working, honest, and dedicated people that got NO RAISE last year! I also know quite a few people that LOST their jobs and are still looking for work. I also know a few people that found jobs after a layoff that are earning a whole lot less now. I also know people who had their homes foreclosed on them and are living somewhere else now. And I also know people like you want big raises and more benefits courtesy of the taxpayer.
If i worked for the DPD...why would i even try to rise through the ranks when I know...the good ol boy network of Michaud,Demello and now our new police chief are good bedfellows.
If all Mr. Cressman does is figure out what has gone wrong in Dartmouth politics over the years when Dartmouth residents entrusted our government to people who really did not have our best interests in mind, and is working to correct these situations, he is worth every penny he earns. Some of us are grateful that the good ole boys are leaving Dartmouth politics, slowly but surely, one way or another.
Let's hope we don't elect one back in. It's like someone somewhere here on this blog said, it's like letting the fox back in the chicken coop if we do.
If I knew Bob Miller I would ask him not to run for selectman.
The town is moving in a new direction. I have trust in the B.O.S. Mr. Miller, stay out of this politicl business. Think about your family and what is going to come out from under the rocks, swamps, and the people who have lost respect for you and your contracts. Bob, please don't do this to your family. Enough is enough. Have another Miller on me.
At one time, Bob Miller may have had the best interests of Dartmouth in mind when he made decisions. That time has long passed. You just need to think of those dreadful, one-sided, anti-taxpaper contracts he secured for his special friends. Bob, go home.
Voting for Bob, so are just about everyone I know.
WOW you must be meeting in a phone booth!!
The guy who said "just about everyone I know" is voting for Bob Miller must know very, very, very few people.
Miller is a popular guy who will make a good showing in April. His time has come and gone though and he will not overcome Michaud who has built a good coalition of support. Remember that most voters are not extremely well informed about the details of how the town has been working. Even though those who are intimate with the dealings of the town know that Miller was a big part of putting Dartmouth on the precipace of fiscal ruin, Miller will say that everything was fine until Michaud came along. In reality Michaud has been cleaning up Miller's mess for the last three years. Don't underestimate Miller. He will put up a good fight by sucking up to town employees who have control of town meeting but not the general electorate. There is also a sentiment of the electorate to "throw the bums out" which is bad for incumbants. The key for Michaud is to make it clear that Miller is the incumbant that has already been thrown out. Twenty-one years of Miller is enough. Vote Michaud.
Joe must GO. Many many people from business owners (who Joe lied to) to people on Chase Rd upset that they are losing tens of thousands in property values, to town employees who are upset with his repeated plans to hiring strangers rather than qualified townspeople will be upset.
This town gives tax breaks to companies moving into town if they promise to hire townspeople, yet when the opportunity to hire or retain twonspeople who have devoted 30 years of their lives to this town arises HE and the BOS choose to hire from outside.
Believe me, there are plenty of voters who are tired of Joe's games and his time in Dartmouth is limited. EVEN Joe knows this, that is why he is running in 2 elections.
Joe has his OWN best interests in mind not those of the town.
People really have the balls to be thinking about raises and then whine went they don't happen ( Public or Private)? Here's a raise for you...YOUR BLESSED to have a job, theres your raise...how about a 40% pay cut for a few months while you collect unemployment then a 100% reduction in pay when that ends.
To anon 12:58,
The town meeting voted to fund the wind project, even after that compelling power point by the NIMBYs.
The SB all voted in favor of the permit. Don't blame Joe Michaud.
As far as hiring outside for police
chief, there was no one qualified for the position.
I guess you think we should hire within the town no matter what. I think Dartmouth deserves the best qualified person within our budget. Cressman is a cracker jack and from what I see, Tim Lee is also one smart cookie!
Shame on the Dartmouth police for not mentoring the junior people who wanted to move up. Maybe Lee will begin that process.
Several years ago, town meeting members, with the support of our board of selectmen, voted to authorise the state legislator's to remove the Dartmouth police chief position,out from civil service. This was done by the police union, in agreement with the select board, to prevent former police officer Brad Silva from becoming the next police chief.
Once the chiefs position was removed from civil service the selectmen could appoint anyone from inside the Dartmouth police department, or decide to go outside the department and hire some unknown police chief.
Prior to such action, the Dartmouth police chief could only be chosen from with in the Dartmouth police department and only after a civil service exam was taken to determine the candidate with the highest grade. It was the police union, along with former selectman Kenneth Vincent, Bob Miller, Bob Carney, and Nat Dias that removed the Dartmouth police chief position out of civil service protection.
I had to chuckle when I read the union letter sent to the select board to appoint the police chief from within the police department. You dummies already had this under civil service. Where were you when the Bob Millers and company sponsored the article that went before town meeting to remove the Dartmouth police chief position out of civil service???
And we want to elect Bob Miller to the Select Board again, why??
I'm surprised the town legal beagle hasn't filed a civil complaint against the Bob Miller and other board members, who went along with the so called "CONTRACTS FOR LIFE". Joe Micaud maybe be a flip flopper on the tax issue but he did it up front and not behind locked doors. The hired lawyer had to send a letter to the select board, so as not to cause him any judiciary misconduct for allowing such contracts that are not in the best interest of the town that he was hired to represent.
This was done by the police union
The Union had nothing to do with the removal of the job from Civil Service. It was the Board under the direction of the Chief at the time (Stevie) the Union can not protect a job, that a member (the Chief) who is not a dues paying member. Thus if the Chief is not in the Union his job description can not be fought for to stay in Civil Service.
Post a Comment